A whole lotta guns
by MementoMori115
Summary: The heroic duo of Ratchet and Clank have been contracted to explore a newly discovered galaxy. Just what is in store for the heavily armed Lombax and his robotic companion?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- Thought this idea might be good with all things considered.**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **(-)**

Soaring through the vast emptiness of space in their starship Aphelion was the heroic duo of Ratchet and Clank. The two of them have saved multiple galaxies over the course of their adventures and were quite possibly the greatest hero's the universe has ever seen. Hard to believe when Ratchet's primary occupation is a mechanic.

It had been some time since their last heroic adventure and Ratchet was antsy for action. Clank, his ever faithful sidekick, decided to indulge his friends thirst for adventure and suggested that they explore the newly discovered and uncharted Grismin galaxy. The galaxy was located past the Shadow Sector and multiple galactic governments were looking to hire someone to go and map the new galaxy. It wasn't much, but Ratchet was betting on the possibility that something exciting was waiting to be discovered there. The galactic government was rather pleased with the fact that they were able to get the famous Ratchet and Clank to take up their request.

And so Ratchet geared up and adorned his Hyperflux armor. The armor had a retractable helmet, a badass black and red color scheme, and negated 50% of all incoming damage. He then loaded up on ammunition for his weapons at the local vendor before checking his gear over one last time. Once he was satisfied with his armaments, he and Clank had hopped into the Aphelion and headed straight to the Grismin galaxy.

So here they were, soaring across the universe at breakneck speeds towards their goal.

"Man I can't wait till we get there." Ratchet said excitedly.

"I recommend you calm down a bit otherwise your flying will be affected." spoke Clank.

"Oh come on. Don't be a stick in the mud. This is our first adventure in a while. I plan on enjoying every moment of it. Just think of what might be waiting for us in the Grismin galaxy."

"I am thinking of what might be waiting for us. And I am just saying that it wouldn't hurt to be a little cautious in our approach."

"Alright, alright." Ratchet groaned. "I'll tone it down a little."

"Thank you. Now, according to the star map we are almost there." Clank said as he examined the holographic display.

"Finally. So, what's the plan when we get there?"

"Well, the galactic government wants us to first search for sentient life on the planets. If we are unable to find and make contact with anyone we were instructed to map out the galaxy and do recon on each of the planets." explained Clank.

After a short while longer their ship had finally arrived at the outer edge of the Grismin galaxy.

"Well, we're here. Time to open the comm's frequency. Aphelion." Ratchet spoke.

" **Searching for communications signal. Searching... Signal found."** came the voice of the ships AI.

"What have you found?"

" **The 4th planet from the sun. I am picking up a faint signal of some sort from the surface. The probability of it being inhabited is rather high."**

"Good. Once we get closer I want you to do a preliminary scan of the surface to determine environmental conditions."

" **Affirmative."**

As they approached the planet the first thing that they noticed was the shattered moon that orbited it.

Ratchet whistled. "Wonder how that happened."

"Perhaps we will find out on the surface." responded Clank.

" **Ratchet. I have finished my scans of the planets surface. Scans indicate that there are no harmful toxins in the air. I also do not detect any planetary defense systems. We should be safe to land without interference."**

"Alright. Now then, let's find a city to land at." Ratchet said as he piloted Aphelion through the atmosphere.

" **Warning. I am picking up a distress signal from a settlement near our landing zone. It appears that they are under attack by something."**

"Well, looks like we have a change of plans. You ready for a fight buddy?" Ratchet asked as he turned to his companion.

"I am adequately prepared. Let us go."

" **Warning. Detecting hostile creatures in the air. Landing is not an option unless they are taken care of."**

"Of course there are." groaned Ratchet. "Okay, Aphelion; I want you to fly us close to the surface and when we get close enough we will eject. I want you to then take care of the aerial threats. We'll handle the ground threat."

" **Affirmative."**

Aphelion flew in close to the surface of the planet, zooming past several giant bird-like creatures, and soon was right over the town.

"Well, it's now or never." Ratchet said resolutely as he pressed the ejection button.

The cockpit hatch opened up and then Ratchet and Clank were shot out of their seats. Ratchet grabbed Clank's hand in mid-air and slung him onto his back. Clank then engaged his heli-pack and slowed their descent to the ground. Once they hit the ground they were greeted by chaos. Various creatures with black fur and white bone-like masks were terrorizing the citizens of the town and destroying structures.

"Time to get to work." Ratchet said as his weapon-equip system sent his Dual Raptors into his hands. He charged forward at the nearest beast with the dual sub-machine guns aimed at it. Ratchet pulled the trigger and a volley of bullets sprayed out of the guns and perforated the beast. Activating his hover-boots, Ratchet soared through the town, unleashing death on all of the dark beasts he came across while Aphelion took care of the flying creatures.

As Ratchet continued his kill-fest he noticed the arrival of what had to be the planets defense forces. However even by the standards of a newly discovered race they looked rather young. It was a group of four females, each armed with a different weapon. One was armed with a scythe, two were armed with swords, and the last had a pair of bracers. Ratchet ejected the clips of his Raptors and loaded a fresh pair in as the girls made their way over to him to join in the fight. Another wave of creatures was heading his way, so Ratchet decided to shake things up. He equipped a Bomb Glove in each hand and began lobbing explosives into the horde. The bombs blew apart the creatures with lethal efficiency and effectively halved the enemies numbers.

"Whoah! Did you see that?!" Ratchet heard one of the girls scream behind him.

As the creatures got closer the girls began to open fire as well. It turns out that each of their weapons held a gun of some sort in them.

Sensing the need for a street sweeper Ratchet swapped to his Vulcan Cannon. The Vulcan Cannon fires a blast of magma pellets at whatever is in front of it with the added bonus of the rounds curving to seek out the enemy. Ratchet aimed the shotgun downrange and pulled the trigger. A single shot was able to take out several of the beasts as the pellets sought out their target and blasted the creatures apart. Ratchet pulled back the pump-action lever and loaded the next round into the chamber. He fired again and even more of the creatures fell. This process continued until the last enemy hit the ground.

Once the assault had stopped he contacted Aphelion through his helmet. "Is that the last of them?"

" **I no longer detect any of the creatures in the vicinity. The area is clear."**

"Good. Can you land in the town near my position?"

" **I will be there right away."**

Ratchet cut the comm link and then turned his attention to the girls that had joined him in combat. He noticed that they were all staring at him intently.

"Hey there." he said casually with a wave before loading more shells into his Vulcan Cannon.

After that there was a moment of silence that was eventually broken by the girl in red.

"That. Was. Awesome!" she shouted as she zipped over to Ratchet with unnatural speed, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her. "What kind of weapon is that? Is it a shotgun? How do the pellets curve towards the Grimm? What's it called? How did you equip it so fast? Is that your semblance? Because if it is then that would be awesome. And those gloves; how did they produce bombs in your hands? Does it have a limited ammo supply? What are they called?" the girls questions continued at a rapid rate without any end in sight.

Fortunately for Ratchet the blonde girl of the group made her way over and grabbed Red by the shoulder.

"Calm down sis. I think you're overwhelming him."

Red sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry. I'm kind of a weapon fanatic."

"No problem." Ratchet said as he finished reloading the gun and returned it to his inventory. "I'm kind of a gun nut too."

"Well thanks for the help with dealing with the grim mister..." the blonde trailed off.

"Ratchet." said person answered. "So those things are called grim huh? Well that's a lot easier to say than 'scary dark creatures with bone masks'."

"What do you mean? Have you never heard of Grimm before?" asked the white haired girl incredulously. "What, have you spent your entire life living under a rock?"

"Actually..." Ratchet started as he retracted his helmet and revealed his face. "I spent my entire life off-world."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- IMPORTANT! Decided to go in a little bit of a different direction with this story. As such the first chapter is unconnected to this one. This is where the real story begins. I will leave the first chapter up as a reminder of what could have been, but from here on out this is the start of the story. I feel much better about this opening than I did about the last and I hope you feel the same.**

 **Also, should I add Qwark to the crew? Your decision.**

 **I may include a few minor Oc's to fill out the crew, but I can't be sure. Other than that, every other character is someone from the series.**

 **Now, to answer a few questions.**

 **1\. Ratchet will be utilizing both the variety and the strength of his arsenal in his fights.**

 **2\. Some weapons will be as powerful as their descriptions suggest, but others might not be. (Seriously, have you read some of the in-game descriptions for some of the damn things?)**

 **3\. Ratchet is roughly 5 feet tall-ish, (I forgot the exact height) and was stated as being 17 as of the first game in the series. Assuming that he aged by about one year per game, (Not counting Secret Agent Clank so don't complain. Mainly because I never played it so I know nothing about it. Also, the future series all occurred one after the other, so no counting there.) that would make him roughly 23-26 years old given the start point of my story.**

 **4\. I use my personal information on the series from being a super fan, along with wiki for my sources. If something truly doesn't add up, then you can complain and I'll listen.**

 **5\. COMPLETELY DISREGARD THE RECENT REMAKE OF THE ORIGINAL AS WELL AS THE MOVIE.**

 **6\. This takes place after Into the Nexus, with it being the most recent event prior to this story.**

 **7\. It is somewhat hard for me to pin down Ratchet's exact personality. He has changed quite a bit over the years, and I will try my best to stay true to his character. (Compare Deadlocked Ratchet to Tools of Destruction Ratchet.)**

 **8\. As a fun little tidbit of information, my favorite weapon in the series is the Rift Ripper from Up Your Arsenal. My favorite of the RYNO series, including the Zodiac and Harbinger, is the RYNO 7. And my all time favorite game is Deadlocked. The fast paced action, badass armor, mature theme, small but highly customizable arsenal, powerful vehicles, and mountains of rewarding challenges, made it my favorite.**

 **Feel free to voice your favorite's in the your reviews.**

 **(-)**

It was just another average morning on Kyzil Platuea on planet Veldin. The planet was mostly barren and was used as a ship graveyard. The majority of it is covered in red desert with only 40% of it being water. It is a harsh environment to live in, but people lived in it nonetheless. Mainly the poor or the less fortunate live on it. Its numerous ship graveyards make it a scavengers paradise as well as a popular place for mechanics to set up shops for low prices. But in recent years the planet has managed to improve its status. This was in part thanks to the presence of quite possibly the greatest heroic duo the universe has ever seen.

Residing in a meager looking garage on Kyzil Platuea, the inhabitants of said garage began to stir. One was a Lombax. Or rather, one of the last Lombax's in the universe since the rest had fled to another dimension. The Lombax race was well known for their ingenuity in crafting, repairing, and modifying various types of machines. This Lombax was no different. It was only natural that he ran a mechanics. The Lombax in question was known as Ratchet, and he was currently beginning to wake up in the mess he called a bed. The covers haphazardly tangled around his limbs, schematics and tools littered about the bed. He was not the most well organized of people, but that was where his companion came in.

Exiting sleep mode and unfolding his limbs on a nearby chair, was Ratchet's ever faithful companion and best friend, Clank. Clank was a Sentry Bot that was improperly produced at a Blarg factory. It was through the machinations of his father, Orvus, the leader of the Zoni, that he came to be. Although his proper designation is XJ0461, the nickname 'Clank' given to him by Ratchet, had stuck. Clank was the more intellectual and refined of the two and it showed on a regular basis.

"Ratchet, it is time to get up." he said in his usual robotic tone of voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." said the Lombax as he sat up and stretched his limbs. "What's on the schedule for today?"

"Well, we have to finish repairing the KR-79 Star Shooter for mister Zall. The engine stills needs to be tweaked a little. Then we need to find a replacement combustion manifold for a D-4 Sky Hawk. The owner said he will be bringing it by around noon. And then we need to head to Veldin's Lossal spaceport where we need to do repairs on a Kerchu Star Cruiser." listed off the robot.

"Hahh, just need to get my morning coffee first." Ratchet said as he pulled on his pants, threw on a black sleeveless shirt, and placed his leather cap on his head.

The robot followed his Lombax companion to the kitchen where the latter started a pot of coffee. Clank had long since gotten used to Ratchet's morning routine. Due to the lack of recent adventures for the duo, he had become somewhat lazy in his everyday duties. That's not to say it ever affected his work. No, when his wrench was in his hands he would work magic on whatever was on the receiving end of it. It's just that Ratchet was a bit bored of the dull, mundane lifestyle that he was currently living. It had been well over a year since their last big adventure. That being their fight against the Nether.

What had started as a simple prisoner escort mission had rapidly fallen apart and cost the duo the lives of two of their close friends. The old warbots Cronk and Zephyr. Ratchet's good friend Talwyn had also suffered from their loss. The two were her guardians and acted as father figures seeing as her father had gone missing. But as time went on the wounds began to heal. Things would never be the same without them, but they all knew the aged bots wouldn't want them to sulk over their deaths forever. Wherever they were, they were in a better place now.

Ratchet took a sip from his mug, savoring the taste of freshly brewed Talnog coffee that had been sent to him courtesy of his friend Big Al. He would need to thank the tech-wizard the next time he got in contact with him, as well as ask him where he could get some more.

"Mmm, that's the good stuff." Ratchet said as he made his way to his 'office' which looked more like a bachelor pad then anything else. A slightly ripped couch was positioned in the center of the room. A small table in front of it and a television mounted on the wall across from that. In one corner was a messy desk that had papers of varying importance which were stacked into piles designated, important, very important, and crap. They ranged from schematics to bills and even a few un-cashed checks from customers that Ratchet never got around to cashing. Also on the desk was a computer that was used mainly by Clank for their business. Another side of the room held some memorabilia from the many adventures that Ratchet and Clank had been on. A Protopet plushy, photos of the friends they'd made over the years, Azimuth's wrench, Tachyon's crown, the list goes on.

Ratchet and Clank plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV to see what was on the news today. The appliance surged to life and the screen displayed a familiar robot reporter who was standing outside the Galactic Presidents palace on planet Marcadia.

"This is Darla Gratch of channel 64 news. And for those of you just joining in, we are about to hear a press conference from President Phyronix concerning the newly discovered and recently dubbed 'Grismin' galaxy."

The camera then panned over to the stage where a large Cazar walked out who was flanked by two guards. The man took the stage and stood in front of the podium in the center.

President Phyronix stood at roughly ten feet tall, the tips of his brown hair starting to turn gray as a sign of aging, as well as small wrinkles forming in the fur of his face. But the man was still a rather upbeat fellow, not letting his age get to him very easily.

"Fellow citizens of the Solana galaxy, first I would like to thank you for..."

Ratchet tuned out for the next couple of minutes. He was well familiar with the cazares habit of grandstanding, trying to up his appeal and promote himself. Not that he wasn't bad at it. No, in fact it was something that all cazares were skilled at. They possessed a natural aptitude for leadership and civil service, which made them great politicians. It was just that Ratchet wasn't big on politics. Hell, he didn't even vote so he saw no point in listening to the first half of the mans address as it would just be political jargon that he didn't care for. But by the time Ratchet had finished his coffee, President Phyronix had gotten down to business.

"I would now like to address the concerns about the newly discovered Grismin galaxy. In accordance with intergalactic law, since Solana was the first to find it, we are the ones in charge of first contact. That being said, we are currently in the process of putting together a skilled team of professionals who we will send out to scout the galaxy for any signs of sentient life. I can assure you, no expense is being wasted in our search for talented individuals to undergo this endeavor. In fact, this will be a joint effort along with two other galaxies to ensure that we have the best outcome possible. Both the Bogon and Polaris galaxies are putting their hats in the ring to aid us. Although the forces of our galaxy will still be the ones primarily in charge."

Ratchet scratched his chin in thought. The Grismin galaxy was the hot topic of the season. New galaxy's don't get discovered very often, so when one does it is usually a big deal. It can also turn into a political shitstorm if the cards aren't played right. But fortunately this time around it seemed that Solana drew the ace of spades and was lucky enough to discover the galaxy without contest. This meant that they had full rights to making treaties with any discovered civilizations. However, it seemed that Solana was also trying to up its popularity by allowing two other galactic governments to take part in the operation. It was a good way to get on their good side while still reaping the majority of the reward.

"I bet there's something interesting to be found out there." mumbled Ratchet.

"Indeed. The probability of them finding something is actually very high. The Grismin galaxy is far beyond the Shadow Sector, so no one ever noticed it until now." added Clank as he sifted through the various messages they had received on the computer.

"I wonder what it would take to get chosen for the mission?" Ratchet mused as he turned off the TV.

"Oh. Ratchet, you might want to read this." Clank said as he stopped on one particular message.

"What is it?" Ratchet asked as he leaned over for a closer look. The sender was from none other then President Phyronix. The subject: Grismin Galaxy.

Ratchet smirked as he read the tag-line. Job offer. "Open it."

Clank clicked on the message and it opened up to reveal a video file. The screen was black save for President Phyronix who stood in the center of it.

" **Hello Ratchet, Clank. I have sent this message to you as I have a job offer you might be interested in. If you've been paying attention to the news recently, then I'm sure that you're familiar with the discovery of the Grismin galaxy. You may also be aware that we are currently putting together a team to go and investigate it. We need the best of the best for this job, and we have decided that you are the most qualified people for a certain position in this undertaking. I would like to personally offer you a spot on the crew that is being sent. If you are interested in the offer, please respond to this message with a yes and I will arrange to meet you at the Bassos city spaceport on planet Marcadia on space date 6/11."**

The message cut out there and the two gave each other a look.

"Well, once more down the rabbit hole?" asked Ratchet.

"I'd say it's about due time." mused Clank.

 **(-)**

Ratchet was currently waiting at the designated spot at the Bassos city spaceport alongside his companion Clank. He was wearing an orange and green jacket over a red shirt with black pants. Leaning up against a wall, tapping his foot against the ground, he was patiently waiting for President Phyronix to show up.

It didn't take long. Soon enough a convoy of black hovercars pulled up alongside the road and stopped in front of Ratchet and Clank. The door to the center one opened up to reveal the man of the hour.

"Ratchet! Clank! Good to see you two again!" the President bellowed as he climbed out of the hovercar and held out his hand.

"Nice to see you again sir." Ratchet said as he shook the mans hand.

"It is nice to see you are doing well." Clank spoke as he shook hands next.

"My, it has been far too long since we were able to meet in person like this. When was the last time?"

"I believe that was a year and a half back, during the resolution of the Artemis Zogg affair." answered Clank.

"Has it really been that long? Huh. Well, it's good to finally having a meeting face to face again. Care to go for a ride?" the president asked as he gestured to his car.

"Sure sir." Ratchet said as he and Clank climbed into the hovercar, followed by the president.

"You know where to go." the president called out to the driver as the hovercar took off. "So, what have you boys been up to as of late?"

"Eh, not much. Just normal mechanic stuff. A broken driveshaft here, a clogged engine there. You know, the usual." answered Ratchet.

"I take it business is good?"

"Well there certainly isn't a shortage of it. Half my customers are totally stoked that the universes greatest heroes are working on their stuff."

"And the other half?"

Ratchet chuckled. "They can't believe that the actual occupation of the greatest heroic duo ever is mechanics."

The president let out a hardy laugh at that. "Well you can't blame them. When you think about it it is a little strange. So why do it?"

"Well..." Ratchet trailed off as he leaned back in his chair. "Just something about it is so soothing. Like it's what I'm meant to do. You are aware of the Lombax's predisposition towards tinkering with things, right?"

"Indeed. Once upon a time they were well known for their gadgetry." spoke the president solemnly. "But that was before..."

"Yeah." finished Ratchet. He was still somewhat down about not ever being able to see his race again, but he wasn't going to let it control him. The only thing he could do was hold his head high and move forward. "By the way, I want to thank you."

The president quirked a brow. "What for?"

"Back when we first met, you always treated Clank as the hero. You acted like I was just his chauffeur like from the Secret Agent Clank movies." Ratchet said as he twiddled his thumbs. "Back then I thought you were just ignorant. But now I understand you were playing him up and me down for a reason."

The president remained silent as Ratchet continued.

"Even if you didn't have the whole story, you still had an inkling of an idea of what had happened to my people, what was going on in Polaris. You had to. Even if he was far away from Solana, you knew that Tachyon would have spy networks setup. You tried to keep my existence hidden." explained Ratchet.

"... All I did was what I thought was best for your survival. If you kept accruing fame, then I knew that Tachyon would eventually find you. So I did my best to cover up your exploits, peg your success's to someone else."

"Qwark." spoke Ratchet.

"An already famous hero to pin all the fame on. A celebrity that everyone was already familiar with."

"And some thanks I gave you." scoffed Ratchet. "What did I go and do? Try and make my name even bigger."

"I did my best to control the news reports that left Solana. I was the reason that Tachyon never found you after you defeated Drek. But when you were taken to Dreadzone..." the president said as his face became downcast.

"You couldn't control them. So that's how Tachyon learned of my existence." finished Ratchet.

The three sat in silence for a few moments, the mood having taken a downturn.

"But in the end, I guess everything turned out well." Ratchet said with a bit of pep. "I found out my origins and finished what my people started."

The president grunted in approval. "Indeed you did."

"Sir, we're here." came the voice of the driver.

"Ah. Well boys, you ready to see her?" asked the president.

"Her?" parroted Clank.

The door to the hovercar opened to reveal a massive hangar that played host to an equally massive ship. A familiar ship. All three stepped out of the car and gazed at the giant spacecraft.

It was immense. A large, sleek star ship that was painted bright red and gunmetal gray.

"Is that... the Phoenix?" asked Ratchet. s he pointed at the ship.

"Nope." answered the president with his arms folded behind his back. "The Phoenix was recently decommissioned. This is her successor. The Dragon." he said grandly as he swung his arms out.

"It's... amazing..." gaped Ratchet in awe.

"It is quite the impressive ship." added Clank. "But why are you showing us this?"

"The Dragon will be the ship to go on the expedition to the Grismin galaxy." answered the president. "She's twice the size of the Phoenix with the latest technology installed on her. She's the new pride of the Solana fleet. Should you accept my offer to go on the expedition, this is what you'll be spending most of your time on."

"Shit, sign me up!" cheered Ratchet. "I'd say yes to the job even if we were just taking her to get her warp drive re-calibrated. I can't wait to be a passenger on such a gorgeous ship."

"Oh, you won't just be a passenger." spoke the president.

"What do you mean?" asked Clank.

"If you say yes to the job, you will be the captain of this glorious vessel."

"No. Fucking. Way." gaped Ratchet.

"Yep!" answered the president. "The Phoenix's last captain retired and aside from my daughter, you've got the most experience in handling the Phoenix, so the Dragon should come to you naturally. You will be the commander of the First Contact Recon Force, or, FCRF."

Ratchet looked at the president with a mad look in his eyes. "Where do I sign?"

"Aha, ha, ha! I like your enthusiasm! We have the paperwork on board the ship. Care for a tour?"

"Strangely enough, you had me at 'paperwork'." said Ratchet.

 **(-)**

Ratchet gaped in awe at the sheer absurdity of how massive the ship was. The hangar inside was so spacious, mainly because there was nothing in it right now.

"In one week's time this hangar will be filled with the vehicles you'll be using on the mission. Mostly military, but a few exceptions such as a mobile lab and an escort shuttle for our ambassador." spoke the president. "Now, I would love to give you a proper tour of the ship, but unfortunately this is all the time I can allot to you today. The life of galactic president is a busy one. So I will have the chief scientist take you for the tour."

"And who would that be?" asked Clank.

"Ah, if it isn't my two favorite heroes." came a familiar nasally voice.

Ratchet and Clank turned around to see Big Al walking towards them wearing a lab coat over his Captain Qwark t-shirt. The cyborg/Gorian **(1)** was an old friend of Ratchet and Clank. He had helped them out on their first adventure and had been around to support them ever since. He was a total techy/geek/nerd/all around good guy. He had a bit of an unhealthy fan obsession with Qwark, but that seems to have petered out over the years. When it came to hacking, computers, and robotics, no one knew more then Big Al. (Save for his brother Bob, but don't tell him that.) Unfortunately he nearly died when he shot by Ace Hardlight during their stay in Dreadzone. But, as Al put it, since they couldn't repair his injured body, they built him a new one. A good portion of his head was replaced with robot parts along with one of his arms, but he was never worse off for it.

"Nice to see you guys again. How was that Talnog coffee I sent you?"

"Divine." answered Ratchet. "How's life been treating you Al?"

The cyborg shrugged. "Not too bad. I'm happy that the galactic government has chosen me to be chief scientist on this mission. And I hear that they chose you to be the captain."

"You heard right!" boasted Ratchet.

"Well, it seems you guys have everything under control. I have to be off now." said the president. "It was nice seeing you again."

"Yeah. You too." replied Ratchet as he waved goodbye along with Clank.

"So, are you ready to take the grand tour?" asked Al.

"You know it."

 **(-)**

"The Dragon is armed with no less then 50 external cannons of varying type and caliber. Along with it's primary dual Cazarian rail cannons that are mounted underneath the nose. The inside has been retrofitted with auto turrets in case the ship is ever boarded like that one time with the Pheonix. As for taking damage, the hull is reinforced with raritanium along with a quantum repulsar field. The ships top speed is..."

Ratchet took in everything Big Al said to the last detail. His mind working overtime to keep up with all the works of wonder that made this ship tick. Clank stood beside him doing the same, although his recognition software was working at a pace that would send Ratchet's head spinning.

"The infirmary is down that hall, the VR training room is down that one, That one leads to the labs, and here's the crew's quarters." Big Al said as the three entered a large hall filled with doors to rooms. At the end of the hall as a lounge of sorts where the crew could unwind and play games and such. There were even some crew members there now.

They were a familiar bunch to Ratchet. The Galactic Rangers. They were robots of the Cyclops series Mk2. The red paint job identified them as such. Since the Tyhrranoid invasions led by Doctor Nefarious, they had been upgraded to Mk2 so that they weren't as cowardly. The green Mk1 was armed with a blaster cannon for an arm, but the Mk2 had two standard arms that could transform into the standard blaster cannon. This allowed them to wield two handed weapons and such besides their standard cannon.

"Hey look! It's sergeant Ratchet!" called out one of the rangers. Ah, that brought back memories. The small group rushed down the hall to greet Ratchet and Clank.

"Hey sarge! How's it going?"

"Been a few years, eh sarge?"

"You still kicking ass like usual? I know we are!"

"Hey guys. Nice to see you again. It's been awhile." responded Ratchet as he received various handshakes and pats on the back. "But just so you know, it's _captain_ now."

"What? You mean-"

"Yep!" Ratchet said as he puffed out his chest in pride. "You're looking at the new captain of the Dragon."

"No way!"

"You rock sarge!"

"Ahem!" coughed Al. "Yes well, I'm sure that there will be time to catch up later. Right now we still have to tour the rest of the ship."

"Sorry guys. Gotta go. But we'll talk later alright?"

"Sure thing sarge!" the Rangers said as they waved off the trio.

"Good guys." Ratchet muttered.

 **(-)**

The tour continued and soon enough Ratchet had seen the entirety of the ship. The mess hall, the engine room, storage room, armory, briefing room, comms room, everything. He now was standing in the bridge, admiring the sleek design of everything there. It was in pristine condition. Not having been used even once.

Ratchet whistled as he slid his hand across the arm of the captains chair. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." he said as he finally took a seat in the chair that overlooked the rest of the command center of the ship.

"Don't let it go to your head Ratchet." admonished Clank.

"I know, I know. Trust me, I won't."

"Here Ratchet, this is the basic briefing of the mission we'll be going on." Al said as he handed Ratchet a holo-screen. It had a detailed plan of the upcoming mission such as departure time, travel time, a roster of the crew members, a list of the assets being allocated, and various other information.

Ratchet spent a few minutes going over the information, handing each page he finished reading to Clank for him to read.

"Man, they really have this planned down to the last detail."

"Indeed." Big Al said as he pushed up his glasses. "Well _captain_ I think it's about time you get to know the rest of the crew. At least the important ones." said Al as he handed Ratchet a list of the crew specialists. It included their names, a picture, basic information about them, as well as the skillset.

"Sure, bring them in."

Ratchet flipped through the papers in front of him and was surprised when he recognized a few of the names.

"Chief Fitness trainer, Helga von Streissenburgen, reporting!" came the female robotic voice. Ratchet spun his chair around and saw the familiar fitness trainer back from his Q-Force days. And she still seemed as brusque as ever.

The door opened again and in walked a Taborian. Ratchet recognized him as the New Age Mystic from the Bogon galaxy. "Chief Mystic, Walks With Stars, reporting." he said softly as he bowed.

"Why do we need a mystic?" asked Ratchet.

"Just covering all bases." answered Al.

The door opened again and in hovered two familiar combat bots. "Heavy weapons expert Merc," came the rugged voice of the first.

"And gadget expert Green," came the meek voice of the second.

"Reporting." they said in unison.

"Merc, Green! Nice to see you guys again!"

"It's been a long time boss. But we felt it was about time we get back in the game." spoke Merc.

"Y-yeah! And we figured we might as well serve under you again." added Green.

"We have to catch up later once all this is over." said Ratchet to which the combat bots nodded.

The door opened again and in walked another familiar face. One that made sweat pour down Ratchet brow. Standing in front of him was his sort-of ex-girlfriend and fellow Lombax. **(2)**

"Angela Cross, chief biologist and doctor, reporting."

"Crap." Ratchet muttered under his breath.

Angela was a successful biologist as noted by her work on the Protopet with Megacorp, so it only made sense that she was the chief biologist as well as doctor. Ratchet tried to wave hello to her, but Angela remained still and stoic in appearance.

The door opened again and in walked yet another familiar face.

"Double crap."

"Sasha Phyronix, chief ambassador, reporting."

It was only natural that they would send a cazar along to act as an ambassador given their skills in politics. And seeing as how Sasha was familiar with the working of the old Phoenix, then she would have an idea about the workings of the Dragon. She was also Ratchet's sort-of ex-girlfriend too.

Yet again the door opened and in walked another woman.

"Triple crap."

"Chief archaeologist, Talwyn Apogee, reporting."

Ratchet's sort-of current girlfriend. Talwyn is a genius when it came to things like studying other civilizations, her specialty being the Lombax's, so it only made sense that she'd be sent along for the ride. Ratchet was tempted to say hello o her, but when he noticed her shoot Sasha and Angela a glare, it became apparent that the trio had spoken with each other prior, and were well aware of their status' as ex-girlfriends. Speaking right now was not an option.

Fortunately salvation came in the form of the doors opening again. This time, in walked a Galactic Ranger. However this one had a pair of radio antennae shooting up from his shoulders. The robot gave a salute before speaking. "Communications officer, Gamma 1, reporting. But you can call me Gamal."

"At ease soldier." Ratchet responded. "I take it you'll be coordinating our comms systems?"

"That is correct sir. Anything you need the crew to know, I'm your man."

Again the door opened and in walked a larger variant of the Galactic Rangers. He was easily a foot taller then the rest and was built like a tank. "Armory chief, Sigma 1, reporting." came a deep baritone. "But you may call me Siegfried."

The doors opened one last time and in walked another Galactic Ranger. This one was more lithe in design. It was built not for combat, but for maintenance. "Chief mechanic, Delta 1, reportin. But yah can just call meh Delsin." he said with a thick accent. "If dere's anything yah need repaired, ahm yer man. Be it tank or gunship, I know mah way around all of 'em."

Seeing as how everyone was present, Ratchet stood up from his chair. "Nice to meet you all. For those of you who aren't already aware of this, my name is Ratchet. I'm the captain of this vessel." he then gestured to Clank. "And this here is my friend Clank. He will be my second in command."

"Hello." Clank waved.

"Each one of you has been chosen for a special reason. You are each the best in your respective fields, and when it comes to the mission we're being sent on, we need the best of the best." Ratchet said as he raised his fist. "In 1 space week standard time, this ship will be sent on an expedition to the Grismin galaxy. It is estimated that the journey will take us about 2 weeks. During that time you are to get acquainted with the ship and its crew. Any questions?"

The crew remained silent.

"Good." nodded Ratchet. "You may head to your quarters and get settled in. You have one week to requisition anything you may need for the trip before we leave. Dismissed!"

The group gave a salute before turning and leaving the way they came. Once they were all out of the room, Ratchet collapsed into his captains chair. "Fuck me..." he groaned as he massaged his temples.

"Something wrong Ratchet?" asked Big Al.

"Other than the fact that 2 of my ex-girlfriends are on the crew alongside my sort-of girlfriend? No, nothing's wrong." he gave a wry chuckle. "All perfectly fine."

"Well, perhaps you should try to settle things with them before we leave. I believe that the president left you a special present in your quarters that might help... alleviate the tension."

"Well then, I guess I better go see what it is." Ratchet said as he got back up and he and Clank headed for the captains quarters.

 **(-)**

It was just as luxurious as Ratchet had imagined it would be. On suite bathroom, minibar, skylight, 70 inch HD TV, the place was a bachelor's dream come true. Save for the on suite office in the corner. But Ratchet had a feeling that it would be mainly Clank using that.

"Man, this place rocks!" Ratchet said as he flopped down on the king size bed.

"It seems that they choose both luxury and efficiency in its design." mused Clank as he scanned the room. His eyes stopped on a package that was placed on a table. "What's this?"

The diminutive robot walked over to the package and read the note that was attached to it.

"What'cha got there buddy?"

"It's for you." Clank said as he handed the package to Ratchet.

"Now let's see here..." Ratchet railed off as he read the card.

" **Ratchet. Hope you like this. It came from my personal stash."**

 **\- President Phyronix**

Ratchet opened the package and whistled when he saw what was inside. "Two bottles of the finest Kerchu whiskey."

While the Kerchu are known for being downright ill tempered creatures, second only to the Cragmites in the Polaris galaxy, they are also known in some circles for their downright potent alcohol. Some believe that they even mix in gelatonium for an extra kick. But seeing as how they rarely like doing business outside of their own race, it is rather hard to get your hands on any of their goods. A single bottle of Kerchu whiskey will set you back quite a bit in terms of bolts. They cost roughly the same as a down payment on a small star shuttle. So for the president to have given Ratchet 2 bottles was saying something.

"I take it you'll be inviting the girls over at some point to try and settle things with them?" asked Clank.

"You bet. No one stays mad after a glass of this stuff."

"No one stays sober after a glass either." mumbled Clank.

"Well anyway, that can wait till later. Right now we've got to get our stuff together and oversee the rest of the mission's setup."

"Agreed. Fun can wait until we're in transit."

 **(-)**

The week went by in a flash and soon the day of departure was upon them. Ratchet and Clank had stocked up on ammo from the local vendors, made some last minute adjustments to their weapons and armor, and took inventory of the Dragon's supplies.

Right now the Bassos city spaceport was bustling with activity. Reporters were everywhere along with citizens who wanted to see off the expedition team. Ratchet currently stood along the back of a stage that had been setup in front of the Dragon. He was dressed in his Hyperflux armor with the helmet retracted. Standing beside him was Clank who was wearing a tie.

Soon enough, President Phyronix stepped out onto the stage and greeted the people gathered.

"My fellow citizens of the Solana galaxy," started the president. "Today is a glorious day in our long history. Today marks the start of the First Contact Recon Force's departure to the Grismin galaxy. It has been many years since the last galaxy was discovered, and now we are sending out a team of our best to scour the newly discovered galaxy for anything of importance. We stopped at no expense in hiring our crew members, and we have graciously accepted the aid of the Bogon and Polaris galaxies, who have decided to aid us in this endeavor. However such an undertaking cannot be started without a proper commander. In line with that, we have hired the greatest duo of hero's the universe has ever seen!" he shouted as he waved Ratchet and Clank over. "I give you, the commanders of the First Contact Recon Force... Ratchet and Clank!"

A uproarious cheer erupted from the crowd as Ratchet and Clank waved out to them.

"Now without further ado, I'd say it about time we kick this thing off!"

The crowd's roar became deafening as they cheered for their hero's.

"Good luck boys." President Phyronix said as he gave Ratchet and Clank a salute, one which they returned.

Making their way up the ramp and into the ships hangar, everything was in place as Ratchet remembered.

The hanger that was originally empty, was now filled with vehicles of varying sorts. He had already taken stock of the various machines that they had for this mission.

They had 3 dropships, 6 star fighters, and 3 fighter bombers for their standard air contingent. They also had 2 Dreadzone hoverships that were reproduced from the blueprints of an original, as well as an escort shuttle for their ambassador. In terms of ground vehicles, they had 4 all terrain Landstalkers, 6 Puma assault tanks, 10 hoverbikes, and 2 mobile labs. And sitting near the entrance to the hangar was Ratchet's personal ship, the starship Aphelion.

Ratchet and Clank could hear the ramp being closed behind them as they made their way past a platoon of Galactic Rangers who saluted them. There were a total of 80 Rangers on board the ship for the mission.

"At ease men." Ratchet called out.

The Rangers lowered their arms and returned to their duties as Ratchet and clank headed for the bridge. After a short walk they arrived.

"Captain on deck!" called out one of the Rangers as Ratchet took his seat in the captains chair.

"Helmsman, are we ready to take off?"

"At your command sir." answered the robot.

"Very well. I hereby commence the start of the FCRF's expedition to the Grismin galaxy. Take off!"

 **(-)**

 **(1)- I'm pretty sure I heard that this was the name of his race somewhere, but I can't recall from where. I also can't find it listed on the wiki, so unless someone can correct me, this will be his race.**

 **(2)- It is indeed listed on the wiki, with an official source, that she is a Lombax.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- So, I stayed up all night (against my better judgement) and managed to already complete another chapter. I really hope you like what I'm doing with this story. But before I continue, I just want to let you know what the direction that this story will be taking is. It is not meant to be serious or filled with drama. I can guarantee you that Cinder's plans will fail. The concept of this story is simply 'what would happen if RWBY was influenced by the inclusion of Ratchet and Clank'. That is all there is to it. No big plot points, no truly evil threat (Aside from Salem), just ridiculous content. It's as simple as that. You will get a feel for what I mean when you see what I did with Ratchet's love life in this chapter. (Which, by the way, I did on a whim)**

 **If you have a scene or an idea for something you think would be interesting to add to the story, then feel free to message me or leave the idea in a review.**

 **Be sure to leave a review.**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **(-)**

Things were going rather smoothly for the crew of the Dragon. It had been about a week since taking off from Marcadia and the ship was almost halfway to the Grismin galaxy. Ratchet sat in the captains chair overlooking the bridge, his crew working away on the consoles in order to keep the ship on course. This was the boring, if important part of the journey. Over the course of the week, Ratchet had decided to catch up with some of his old friends like Merc and Green, as well as the Galactic Rangers. However he had yet to speak more then a couple sentences to any of the girls. Say what you will about him, he had faced down monsters and robots many times his size without a hint of fear. But when it came to his romantic life he just couldn't muster up the courage to face all of them.

However he figured he'd put it off long enough and decided to bite the bullet. That and Clank's stare was starting to burn a hole in him.

"Clank, I'm going to speak with the girls. Can you handle things here?" Ratchet said as he got out of his chair.

"It will be no trouble at all."

"Thanks. Okay everybody, Clank is in charge while I'm gone." Ratchet said to the crew.

"Aye, aye captain."

Ratchet headed out through the bridge doors and walked deeper into the ship. He figured his first stop should be to see Angela as she seemed the most upset.

However on his way to the labs he was approached by Delsin.

"Oi captain!" the robot called out.

"Hey Delsin. You need something?"

"Yeah. Can ya come wit meh to da hangar? We's got a little problum wit one of da dropships." the robot explained.

"How so?" asked Ratchet.

"Well..." Delsin started as he scratched the back of his head. "We're performing routine maintenance checkup on all da vehicles. However one of dem dropships is stuck up tightern' a Pokitaruian turtle in its shell. None of us is able to open da damn thing."

"Hahh, let me grab my tools and I'll meet you in the hangar." Ratchet sighed in resignation. It looks like his talk with Angela would have to wait.

"Thanks cap'n." Delsin said as he headed back to the hangar.

After stopping by his room to grab his OmniWrench he then made his way to the hangar. Upon arriving he saw several Ranger mechanics along with Delsin standing in front of one of the dropships.

"I'm telling you that I hear something growling in there!" shouted one of the mechanics.

"And I'm tellin ya dat ya need a new audio recognition software!" Delsin shouted back as he gestured to the side of his head. "Dere's no way in hell dat something is in dere! Dese here dropships was fully inspected before we left. And dere weren't anything in dem at the time."

The mechanic who he was telling off knocked his hand against the side of the dropship. Seconds later a low rumble emanated from the ship. "You telling me you can't hear that you daft fool?!"

"Prolly just da hydraulics creakin." answered Delsin.

"What seems to be the problem here?" Ratchet asked as he made his way over to the group.

"Ah, just in time cap'n. Would ya be so kind as to tell dese 'ere nervous nellies dat dere's nothin in da damn ship." Delsin spoke.

"And would you be so kind as to tell this stubborn old fool that ships don't growl." said one of the mechanics.

"Growl?" queried Ratchet.

"Yeah! There's something in there! And I say we leave it in there until it starves to death before we open the hatch." reasoned another mechanic.

"Don't listen to 'em cap'n. They's just a bunch'a scaredy cats. Jumping at the sound of da ship creaking. Which means we haf to get it open and find da source of da creakin!" Delsin yelled at the mechanics. "If we leave it as is, den it will cause problems for us later on. We's gonna need all da ships in right proper order for da mission."

"He's got a point you know?" spoke Ratchet.

"Yeah well, if you're really gonna open the damn thing then at least get some of the Rangers over here in case something is inside. Which it is!"

"Alright, alright, let's all calm down." Ratchet said as he tried to diffuse the situation. "Delsin and I will work on cracking this puppy open while you guys grab some of the Rangers."

"Yes sir." the mechanics replied as they walked off.

"Okay, now let's see what the problem is here." Ratchet said as he and Delsin inspected the dropship.

"Da damn ramp won't drop. And da hatch to da cockpit is locked as well." supplied Delsin.

Ratchet looked along the ramp and it seemed like there was no problem on the outside. Whatever was keeping it closed was on the inside.

"Hahh, if we have to force this open and break it, do you think you can get it repaired before we arrive in the Grismin galaxy?" asked Ratchet.

"Hmph! Is a Terachnoid born wit at least 4 brains?"

Ratchet smirked. "Good. Because it's looking like force is the only way we'll crack this open."

As Ratchet and Delsin formulated a plan for opening the dropship, the rest of the mechanics arrived with a small squad of Rangers.

"We're back captain."

"Good. We're just about ready to open this up." Ratchet said as he wedged the barrel of a plasma cutter into the crevice of the hatch.

"A'ight boys. Since me mechanics insist dat somethings in dere, I want ya to keep ya blasters trained on da inside." Delsin said as he addressed the Rangers.

Ratchet began the arduous process of cutting open the dropships hatch. After about 5 minutes he finally finished cutting the arch shape of the ramp. He then wedged his OmniWrench into the side of it and pried the thing open. The door fell to the ground with a thud. Ratchet and the Rangers gazed into the ship interior which was rather dark.

"Hello? Anybody in there?" called out Ratchet.

Suddenly a large form rushed out of the ship and pulled Ratchet into a big hug.

"Oh my good buddy Ratchet! How long has it been since we last saw each other?!" cried the large green-clad celebrity hero.

"Q-Qwark?! What are you doing here?!"

"Why, I'm here for the mission of course!" he bellowed as he let Ratchet down. "I heard that they needed the best of the best for this expedition, and when they didn't call me, I realized that I must have been too impressive of a choice for the job!" he boasted as he began bragging about his greatness. "So I figured I would surprise everyone and decided to be a stowaway. Pretty great plan, am I right?"

"... You can't be serious..." groaned Ratchet.

"As a heart attack!" grinned Qwark as he gave a thumbs up. "I still couldn't believe that the galactic government even considered not hiring me for the job. But I showed them! So here I am, aren't you happy to see me?!"

"Like a fresh wound." drawled Ratchet.

"So all that growling was you?" asked one of the mechanics.

"Growling? Oh yeah, that's right! C'mere Snowball!" Qwark called out to the inside of the dropship.

"Snowball?" Ratchet parroted. He then remembered just who Snowball was. "Qwark, you didn't..."

Walking out from the dropship on all fours was a massive beast. A War Grok to be exact.

"Qwark! I thought Snowball was moved to a reserve on Sargasso!" cried Ratchet as he grabbed his head in disbelief.

"He was! But I was kind enough to rescue him from that boring place and decided to bring him along for the expedition. Can you just imagine it, me, charging into battle on the back of a mighty War Grok! My popularity will skyrocket with the locals!"

"Or you'll terrify them! I thought Snowball tried to eat you?!"

"Oh that was just a little mistake on my part." Qwark said as he scratched Snowball's chin. "I made sure to tame him properly this time. He won't go out of control again. Ain't that right Snowball~?"

The War Grok began grumbling happily at Qwark's touch.

"Who's a good War Grok? Who's a good War Grok? You are! Yes you are!"

"Hahh... perfect..." groaned Ratchet.

"So what's da plan cap'n? We turn 'round an' bring 'em back?" asked Delsin.

Ratchet rubbed his temples with his fingers. "We can't. We're already halfway there and if we return now this whole thing will turn into a political mess. Solana is trying to build a better relationship with Bogon and Polaris, and if we cancel the mission halfway, then there is a good chance they will pull out their assets."

"Hmm, yer right. So we'll haf to deal wit dis idiot ourselves."

"Yeah. Delsin, can you go to Gamal and have him inform the ship about our new guests? I have other things to take care of."

"Sure thing cap'n."

"And Qwark..."

"Yeah?"

"Just... stay out of trouble." pleaded Ratchet.

"Hah! When was the last time I caused trouble?"

"Just now." Ratchet answered immediately, before he headed off to the labs. "Great, first the girls and now Qwark. Does anything else want to go wrong for me?"

After a short trek across the ship Ratchet arrived at the labs. The labs were currently empty of personnel, save for a single female Lombax who was calibrating one of the machines in the corner.

Hearing the sound of Ratchet's footsteps approaching, Angela turned around to see who it was. However when she realized it was Ratchet she scowled slightly before returning to her work.

"Hey Angela. How's it going?" asked Ratchet.

"Hello captain." she replied tersely.

Ratchet took note of how she referred to him as captain rather than Ratchet.

"What brings you to the labs?"

"Just checking up on everything. Wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine, thanks for asking." she answered bluntly.

"So, what are you working on?" asked Ratchet.

"Hahh, I'm currently fine tuning the gyro spinner on the centrifuge. Whoever we got this from decided to cut a few corners to save money. I knew I should have requisitioned one from a different company."

"And how are you yourself doing?"

"Tch, what do you care?" she asked without turning away from her work.

"I care about my friends and my crew. Their well being is important to me and I want to ensure they are at their best for the mission." answered Ratchet.

"Really? I seem to recall a rather different impression of you."

"What do you mean?"

"Idiot." she grumbled.

"What? Angela, could you please just tell me what's wrong? I can tell you're upset with me, but can you tell me exactly why? It's been years since we've seen each other so I don't know what I could have possibly done to anger you."

"It's not what you did... It's what you didn't do." she said somberly. "Do you remember when you left Bogon?"

It was so far back that Ratchet couldn't recall the exact details, but he remembered he left to stop the Tyhrranoid invasion on Veldin.

"Yeah, I left so that I could save the planet I called home from an invasion." he answered, unsure of where Angela was going with this.

"And yet you didn't so much as leave me a letter as to where you went or why you left."

' _Crap.'_

"I thought you had just up and disappeared on me. Your apartment was left just as it was, yet you and Clank were gone."

Ratchet could hear here faintly sobbing.

"I get it, you wanted to save your home planet, but you didn't so much as even say goodbye to me. I don't hear from you for over a year. I do my best to track you down, and when I finally find you and manage to get a message to you, you reply with; 'Sorry I had to leave. Things came up.'"

Ratchet began to feel more and more like a jerk with each passing second.

"You barely contact me at all after that..." she then spun around to face Ratchet. "Do you realize that we never officially broke up? You just ran off into the arms of another woman."

"Angela... I'm sorry. I was young and foolish back then."

"And? What? You wanna just pretend none of that ever happened? You want to go back to being just friends?"

"Hahh, listen. I'm sorry for being such an asshole back then. I just want to try and put all this behind us and focus on the mission. I'm wanna invite you and the other girls to my room for a talk over some nice alcohol, and hopefully we can reach a resolution."

"You think you can try to win me over with alcohol?"

"It's Kerchu whiskey."

"... Fine. But don't think this means I've forgiven you." Angela said as she returned to her work.

"Thanks Ange." Ratchet replied as he left the labs. "One down, two to go." he muttered.

 **(-)**

Over the course of the following hours, Ratchet went about from place to place aboard the ship, tracking down and catching up with his various comrades. He managed to find Sasha and convince her to join him with the others in his room for a talk. Apparently she had wanted to have the discussion just as much as he did. Talwyn on the other hand was a bit more difficult. She simply saw Angela and Sasha as threats to her position as Ratchet's girlfriend and didn't want to have anything to do with them. According to her, the two of them still had feelings for him. It was all shaping up to be a bigger headache then Ratchet anticipated. But it was something he had to deal with sooner or later, so better to get it resolved before they arrive in Grismin.

So it was in this state that Ratchet found himself waiting in his quarters for the girls to arrive.

"Any minute now." he said aloud as he watched the clock. He had already explained the situation to Clank about how he needed the room for the night, and that he would come and get him when the discussion's were over. Until then, Clank said he was joining in on a game of poker with some of the Rangers, Big Al, and Merc and Green.

Ratchet was thinking over what he would say in his head many times over. He needed to word his responses carefully otherwise things could turn out even worse than before. And he couldn't have that.

A knock at the door disturbed him from his thoughts. "Come in."

The door opened and in walked the girls. A myriad of emotions could be seen upon each of their faces. Anger, jealousy, resentment, sadness.

"Well then, welcome to my pad." Ratchet said with grandeur, trying to alleviate the awkward atmosphere. It worked to a degree. "Now, we all know why I've gathered you all here." he continued as he gestured for them to take one of the open chairs in the room. "We're here to put the past behind us and reach a compromise. Each one of you have held a special place in my heart at one point or another. But right now we have to put aside our differences and dislike of each other for the sake of the mission. Can you all agree to that?"

"That's what we're here to discuss, isn't it?" asked Talwyn.

"Indeed. And what better way to discuss such things than over a glass of fine whiskey." Ratchet said as he pulled out one of the bottles.

"Is that... Kerchu whiskey?!" gaped Talwyn.

"Yep." answered Ratchet. "A little present courtesy of President Phyronix for all that I've done." he explained as he pulled out a corkscrew.

"I can't believe you were serious about this." spoke Angela.

Ratchet unscrewed the top and poured the contents into four glasses that were placed on the nearby table. After they were sufficiently filled, he returned the cork to the bottle before putting it away.

"Now then," he said as he grabbed one of the glasses. "To start off, I propose a toast. To the success of the mission. May this be a rather fruitful endeavor."

"Agreed."

"Here, here."

"What you said."

The four clinked their glasses together before taking a sip of the bronze liquid inside.

"Ah, damn that is good!" cheered Ratchet.

"I hear that! I've never had booze this good before."

"The last time I had this was at my fathers inauguration."

"And another toast! To companionship!" Ratchet offered.

"Cheers!"

Things were shaping up to be a successful and eventful night.

 **(-)**

Ratchet slowly and painstakingly opened his eyes, only to slam them shut as he was assaulted by a massive headache. His ears flicked in response to a breeze blowing over them which only exasperated the headache.

' _God, how much did I drink last night?'_

Ratchet's entire body felt sore and tired. Another breeze blew past his ears, causing them to flick again. He finally managed to crack his eyes open, only to notice the bottle of whiskey on the table next to his bed. It was completely empty. He closed his eyes in aggravation.

' _Well that explains that.'_

He tried to dredge up memories of the night before. He had invited the girls to his room for drinks and to 'bury the hatchet'. However the pounding in his head made it hard to recall anything. His ear flicked again as another breeze blew past. It was starting to annoy him.

' _Let's see... The girls came over. Then we had a toast, we talked things out...'_

Ratchet frowned. His mind got foggier the further he dug into the night. His ear flicked again, at another breeze.

' _We were getting drunk fast... Needed to call it quits and get Clank.'_

Another breeze, another flick of the ear.

' _Then... warm... soft... strange sensations.'_

Breeze. Flick.

' _Angela, Sasha, Talwyn... lips.'_

Breeze. Flick.

' _Crying... joy...'_

Breeze. Flick, flick, flick, flick.

Ratchet's eyes snapped open. He was on a starship. No windows, no breeze.

He slowly turned his head to see what the source of the 'breeze' was. When his eyes finally gazed upon the source he had to hold back the urge to curse. It was Angela. She was fast asleep in bed next to him.

With growing dread, Ratchet opened his eyes fully. And then he took note of Angela's state of dress, or rather, lack thereof. Her uncovered chest was fully on display.

Ratchet closed his eyes once more, hoping this was a bad dream that he would wake up from. Unfortunately when he opened his eyes again, he still saw her. What's more, he then noticed the other naked woman who lay curled up against his chest. Sasha.

' _Oh no...'_

His mind raced at a mile a minute in an attempt to piece together the events of last night. Just what the hell had happened.

' _Okay... Deep breaths... Why it it so hard to breath?'_

Ratchet lifted the blanket off of his torso and revealed the sleeping form of Talwyn who was hugging his chest. Nary a speck of cloth on either of them.

' _WHAT THE FUCK?!'_ he screamed internally. _'No wait, calm down. Maybe it isn't as bad as I think.'_

Ratchet sat up and took a deep breath through his nose to try and unconfirm his fears.

' _It is as bad as I think...'_

"Mmmn..." grumbled Talwyn as she began to stir.

' _SHIT!'_

Talwyn's eyes opened and looked straight at Ratchets as she let out a cute little yawn. "Hey Ratchet. Morning."

"M-morning Tal." Ratchet stuttered in response with a forced smile. "Now please, just know that I have no idea what is going on, okay?"

"What do you mean?" she asked. It didn't take long for her to notice their two bed mates. "Oh. Still asleep are they?" Talwyn said nonchalantly.

Ratchet blinked in surprise. Did she seriously not care that his two ex-girlfriends were in the same bed as him, naked no less?!

"Man Ratchet, you sure know how to please a woman. My legs are still weak from last night." Talwyn said as she sat up and stretched her still nude body in front of Ratchet.

"Y-yeah..." was his external response.

' _What the fuck is going on here?!'_ was his internal response.

The mumbling of his other two bed mates caught his attention. And he looked over to see as the duo began to stir.

Both Sasha and Angela sat up, evidently not caring about their lack of dress, and stretched their limbs as well.

"Wow lover boy, last night was amazing." said Sasha.

"I haven't had that much fun in years." spoke Angela.

"Uh huh..." Ratchet nodded dumbly. "I just have one tiny question. Hopefully one of you can answer it."

"Sure, what is it?" asked Talwyn.

"What in the flying fuck happened last night?"

"You, don't remember?" asked Sasha.

"Of course he doesn't remember." responded Angela. "He drank nearly twice as much as we did."

"Oh yeah, that's right." Sasha said as she pursed her lips.

"Umm, still need an explanation here. Why are we all naked in my bed?"

"Why, isn't it obvious?" questioned Angela.

Ratchet shook his head. "Not really."

"Last night..." Angela started as she leaned in and brushed a finger against Ratchet's muscular chest.

"We all decided..." Sasha continued as she leaned in as well and caressed his cheek.

"To share you as a lover." finished Talwyn as she grabbed Ratchet's arm and placed it between her cleavage.

"... Holy shit..." Ratchet breathed out in disbelief. Quite possibly the greatest, most unbelievable night of his life, and he couldn't remember any of it.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll come back to you in due time." Sasha said as she got out of bed, walked over to the pile of clothes, and rummaged through them to find hers. As she did so, she made sure to bend over and raise her tail, giving Ratchet an unobstructed view of her.

Ratchet's eyes widened in surprise as he tried to contain himself.

"Sasha! Now is not the time. He has to report to the bridge soon." scolded Talwyn.

"Alright, alright..." relented Sasha as stepped into her panties and pulled them up her legs.

Ratchet quickly looked over to the clock and saw that the time was 11:30.

"Eleven thirty!" he screeched as he jumped out of bed, stark naked and ran over to his dresser. He ransacked the thing for a set of clean clothes to wear for the day and quickly threw them on. Before he left he grabbed a can of deodorant and sprayed himself thoroughly since he didn't have time to shower. Ratchet then ran out of his room with his thrown together outfit. He wore dark blue jeans, a red sleeveless shirt, and a black jacket over top. He had completely neglected to put on shoes, but right now he was running late for his post.

Dashing down the hall, he flew into the bridge where he was greeted by the crew like normal.

"Captain on deck!" called one of the Rangers who saluted him.

"At ease!" Ratchet barked as he made his way towards the captains chair where he found Clank sitting. "Sorry I'm late." he apologized.

"No problem." responded Clank. "I had things under control whilst you were, *ahem* preoccupied."

"Shit, sorry! Things got a little out of hand last night and we drank a bit too much."

"No worries. I managed to make a killing at the poker game and stayed the night with Merc and Green. I'm just glad that your problems have been sorted out."

Ratchet scratched the back of his head. "I'm not sure that this is what you would call 'sorted out'."

"Everything turned out optimally, all parties are happy with the outcome, and you're all the better for it. I'd say it turned out quite well." reasoned Clank.

"Hah! Just try saying that if you're ever in the same position."

 **(-)**

The rest of the week went off without a hitch. Ratchet slowly came to terms with his girlfriend situation as he remembered the events of the fateful night of drunkenness.

Qwark was surprisingly quiet. Mainly because he was too preoccupied with his pet War Grok to cause any trouble. But that would only last for so long.

And soon enough the Dragon had reached the outer rim of the Grismin galaxy.

"All right everybody, you know the plan." Ratchet called out from his command chair. "First we search the planets for sentient life, and if none is found then we are to inspect the planets one by one and map out the galaxy. Gamal, open the comms frequency."

"Righto sir." responded the officer. "Searching for communications signal now." he said as he pressed a few buttons on the console. "Signal found sir. It's weak, but there is a signal of some sort coming from the fourth planet from the sun. The probability of it being inhabited is high."

"Very well then. That is where we shall start. Someone perform a preliminary scan of the atmosphere to determine environmental conditions. I want to know whether or not the air is toxic." instructed Ratchet.

As they approached the planet the first thing that they noticed was the shattered moon that orbited it.

Ratchet whistled. "Wonder how that happened."

"Perhaps we will find out on the surface." responded Clank.

"Sir, I have finished my scans of the planets surface. Scans indicate that there are no harmful toxins in the air. I also do not detect any planetary defense systems. We should be safe to land without interference." said one of the crew members.

"Alright. Now find us a city to land at." Ratchet said as the dragon was piloted through the atmosphere.

"Sir! We're picking up a distress signal from one of the settlements nearby our designated landing zone. It appears that they are under attack by something and are requesting aid." said Gamal.

"Well, it looks like we have a change of plans. Ready for some action buddy?" Ratchet asked his pal.

"I am adequately prepared." the robotic companion answered.

"What does the situation look like?" Ratchet asked.

"Reports say that the settlement is under siege by ground forces in the form of wildlife along with a small contingent of aerial forces. Landing is not an option."

Ratchet huffed. "Of course. Scramble the fighters to take care of the air threat. I will lead a squad down to the surface via halo jump from a dropship. Inform the Rangers. After we secure the ground and air, I want another dropship to land with support forces and medics."

"Right away sir." Gamal responded.

Ratchet and Clank made their way down to the hangar of the Dragon where they saw a squad of Rangers piling in to one of the dropships. Throwing Clank on his back, Ratchet joined them in the ship. Alarms started blaring as the hangar shifted about in order to launch the fighters and dropship.

" **Launching in three, two, one... Launch!"**

The dropship lurched forward as it took off out of the hangar. Ratchet looked around the dropships interior. There were a total of 10 Rangers in the ship with him and they all looked ready for battle.

" **Thirty seconds! Lock and load boys!"** came the pilot's voice over the intercom.

Ratchet's helmet unfolded and covered his face as they neared the drop point. The Rangers looked over their weapons one last time and toggled the safety's off. It was time to get serious.

The front ramp of the dropship opened as they reached their drop point.

" **Go, go, go!"**

One by one the Rangers rushed out of the ship and began their free fall descent.

As they fell through the sky, Ratchet watched as the fighters took out the air forces below them. Giant bird-like creatures that were pitch black in color with white masks. They stood no chance against the power of the star fighters kinetic demolishers. They were blown apart, perforated, turned into smaller bits of bird before falling dead towards the surface.

Ratchet and his squad grew ever closer to the surface and could see the chaos on the ground. The native species was fleeing in terror from the black and white creatures that were raiding their town. A few of the natives fought back with various weapons, but they were being overwhelmed.

"Let's get in there!" shouted Ratchet as the Rangers ignited their jetpacks and slowed their descent. Clank activated his heli-pack as well to slow Ratchet's descent.

Once they landed they were given a warm reception by the local wildlife.

"Let's show these mangy beasts how the Rangers fight!" cried Ratchet as his weapon equip system sent his Dual Raptors into his hands. "Mow them down!"

Ratchet and the Rangers aimed their weapons down range and fired. Their high tech blasters burned holes straight through the beast and killed them. Within moments the first wave was dead.

"Beta 1 through 4, I want you to spread out and search for survivors! Beta 5 through 8, I want you to escort noncombatants to safety! Beta 9 and 10, you're with me! We're gonna face the horde head on!" Ratchet ordered.

"Roger sir!"

The group split up to perform their assigned duties, and Ratchet led the counter attack. He and his two supporting units went from street to street clearing out the enemy forces. Soon enough Ratchet noticed the arrival of what had to be the planets defense forces. However even by the standards of a newly discovered race they looked rather young. It was a group of four females, each armed with a different weapon. One was armed with a scythe, two were armed with swords, and the last had a pair of bracers. Ratchet ejected the clips of his Raptors and loaded a fresh pair in as the girls made their way over to him to join in the fight. Another wave of creatures was heading their way, so Ratchet decided to shake things up. Ratchet swapped to his Vulcan Cannon. The Vulcan Cannon fires a blast of seeker lasers that curve towards the enemy to maximize its leathality. Ratchet aimed the shotgun downrange and pulled the trigger. A single shot was able to take out several of the beasts as the lasers arced through the air and sought out the beasts. Ratchet pulled back the pump-action lever and loaded the next round into the chamber. He fired again and even more of the creatures fell.

As he and the Rangers fought, the girls that had arrived began firing upon the beasts as well. Apparently each of their weapons also served as a gun. This process continued until the last enemy hit the ground.

Ratchet then opened a comm link to the Dragon through his helmet. "This is Ratchet to the Dragon. How copy?"

" **We hear you Ratchet."**

"Are all enemy forces neutralized?"

" **That's an affirmative. We are not picking up any more movement on our scanners."**

"Good. Now send in the the second dropship. We've got wounded down here."

" **Roger."**

Ratchet began loading more shells into his Vulcan Cannon as a force of habit. It was always good to make sure your weapons are topped off. Once it was fully loaded he dismissed it and walked over to the girls who had shown up to aid in the towns defense. He could tell each of them was unsure what to think of him. So he decided to break the silence and follow protocol.

"Who is your CO?" he asked.

"Our what?" questioned the girl in red and black.

"Commanding officer."

Still no response. Ratchet sighed slightly. "Where is the person in charge?"

"Oh! Uh, that would be me!" said the scythe girl.

"You're in charge of this squad?" Ratchet asked a bit skeptically.

"Yep!" the girl responded proudly. "You're looking at Ruby Rose, leader of team RWBY!"

"Very well." responded Ratchet as he unfolded his helmet, revealing his face to the girls. "I am Ratchet. Captain of the starship Dragon, and commander of the First Contact Recon Force."

As he said this the Dragon flew over head and spat out the second dropship, which landed nearby and unloaded its personnel.

The four girls looked at him with wide eyes and dropped jaws.

"We have much to discuss, but first we must tend to the wounded as well as secure the towns defenses." Ratchet said without losing pace.

 **(-)**

Team RWBY had no idea what to think. What was originally supposed to be a simple trip to Forever Fall for training, rapidly shifted into an emergency request for aid at a town that was being overrun by Grimm. However upon arriving they found that the town was being protected by a group of strange robots. The girls asked Weiss if they were some kind of new Atlas model, but she said she'd never seen anything like them before. Atlas robots were much more sleek.

Then they were approached by the man who seemed to be in charge of the robots. He was roughly the same height as Ruby and was wearing some pretty advanced looking armor that covered his face. His tail and ears had them peg him as a faunus, but when his helmet came off they didn't know what to think.

He was an honest to god cat creature of some sort. Then he claims that he is the captain of a starship, which just so happened to suddenly fly overhead. The girls had no time to process this information as he left to 'tend to the wounded'.

"Uh guys... what in the name of hell just happened?" Yang asked.

"Aliens..." Ruby said in a hushed tone.

"You can't be serious! Aliens are just a myth!" shouted Weiss incredulously.

"Try telling that to him." Blake said as she pointed at Ratchet's retreating back. He was making his way over to the dropship that had just arrived and helped unload what they could only assume was medical supplies.

Robots filed out of the ship, their red paint job accented with a white + in the center of their chests marking them as medics.

Team RWBY walked over towards one of the robots who was helping up a man who had lost his leg. He was profusely bleeding from the missing appendage and screaming in agony.

"Hold still. I'm injecting nanotech." the robot said as he pulled out a syringe containing a glowing blue liquid. He stabbed the end into the mans leg and pushed down on the plunger. Seconds later the wound began to stitch itself shut and the bleeding stopped.

The man looked at the robot in disbelief. "Th-thank you."

"You should be fine for the time being. Just don't tear the wound open again. I'm sure that you wouldn't want another shot." the robot said as he lifted up the man and carried him towards the dropship in the center of town where the rest of the doctors were setup.

Team RWBY continued on their way, spotting another robot placing a small black box down on the ground facing towards the direction that the attack came in. The box unfolded and a small turret popped out. It began swiveling about searching for hostiles.

"This... can't be real..." muttered Weiss.

"Weiss-cream, we have gone way past 'this can't be real' territory and straight into 'this is effing insane' territory." said Yang.

"I agree with Yang. This is insane." remarked Blake.

"And so COOL!" shouted Ruby, much to everyone's surprise. "Look at all this cool technology! I mean, did you see the shotgun that Ratchet guy was using?! It fired lasers that _curved_ towards the Grimm!"

Yang patted Ruby on the back. "Sis, have I ever told you that sometimes focus on the wrong aspect of something? There are ALIENS on Remnant. Aren't you the least bit freaked out?"

"Why would I be? They seem to be on our side. And they haven't been all like 'take me to your leader'." Ruby said in a deep voice.

Weiss let out an exasperated sigh, Blake rolled her eyes, and Yang gave a weak chuckle.

"We should probably contact Professor Ozpin." reasoned Blake.

"Good... idea..." Weiss agreed as she tried to take a few deep breaths.

Ruby pulled out her scroll and after a few button pushes, got in contact with Ozpin's office. Glynda was the one to answer the call.

" **Ah, Ruby Rose. I assume you are calling to inform us of the state of the town of Mittly? Has the Grimm incursion been dealt with, or do you need more support?"**

"Oh, it's been dealt with alright. But not exactly by us." answered Ruby.

" **What do you mean?"**

"There are aliens here! They swooped down with their laser weapons and reduced the Grimm to nothing!" Ruby said excitedly.

" **... Miss Rose, I'll have you know that this is a serious matter, and I do not take kindly to such nonsense."** Glynda scolded.

"I'm serious! You gotta get down here with the headmaster right away!"

" **What is it Glynda? Who are you talking to?"** came Ozpin's voice.

" **Just miss Rose going on about some alien nonsense."**

"It's not nonsense! Look!" Ruby said as she aimed her scroll's screen towards the dropship.

" **What in the? Is that new Atlas tech? What's it doing in Vale territory?"**

" **I will have to have a frank discussion with James about this. He is overstepping his bounds."**

"Grr! No! It isn't Atlas tech! Just wait, I'll find Ratchet." Ruby said as she took off towards the ship.

" **Ratchet?"**

Soon enough Ruby found Ratchet sitting against the towns fountain with a small robot standing next to him.

"Ratchet!" she called out.

"Oh, hey. You're that girl, Ruby was it?"

"Yep! No please, tell my headmaster that you're an alien!" she begged as she pointed her scroll at Ratchet.

"Umm, hello?" he called out to the people on the screen of the device. "I guess I'm supposed to tell you that I'm an alien?"

The sound of a mug shattering was heard over the scroll.

" **Glynda, get me a bullhead right now."**

" **On it sir."**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- Well, here it is, the next chapter. Hope you like it.**

 **I may have to disregard my statement in the last chapters A/N about how there would be a lack of seriousness, drama, and big plot points. The more I work on this story the more it changes shape into something else. It's evolving from my original concept, and I hope it's for the better.**

 **Again, if you have a scene or an idea for something you think would be interesting to add to the story, then feel free to message me or leave the idea in a review.**

 **For example; should I give Ratchet Aura and Semblance? And if so, what would his Semblance be?**

 **Be sure to leave a review.**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **(-)**

Ozpin was not one for letting his emotions control him. He was always calm and collected. So it was much to Glynda's surprise when she saw her boss impatiently tapping his foot against the floor of the bullhead they were riding in.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"I've been better Glynda. A development such as this is completely unprecedented. Never had we ever thought that we were anything more than alone in this universe. And yet now we have extraterrestrial visitors here on Remnant." he said with concern in his voice. "An advanced alien race who's allegiance to us has yet to be determined. We must hurry and solidify an alliance with these people before **she** makes contact with them. We cannot allow them to fall into **her** graces."

Glynda was well aware of whom he was referring too. So she understood his concerns.

"Aside from that, you saw what he looked like right?"

"Yes. Almost like a faunus."

"Exactly. We must not allow the White Fang to sink their teeth into them either. Or allow prior prejudices to cause them to scorn us." explained Ozpin.

"I see. This is a very tenuous situation."

"Exactly. And the council will no doubt have their own way of going about handling them. We have to be the first ones to form an alliance with our guests. For the sake of Remnant." Ozpin said resolutely.

"I agree. It is easy to imagine the council botching things up. Or worse yet, trying to hand our guests over to Atlas. I'm sure their scientists would kill for just a piece of scrap of their technology." Glynda said in agreement.

"Yes. We must make it so that they understand our intentions. Every move we make must be calculated. If we make a single misstep we could gain their ire, and with it, our destruction."

Ozpin could hear the sound of the engines slowing down. No doubt they had arrived at the town of Mittly. The hatch doors opened up to reveal the damaged town. Mittly had received quite a few scars from the Grimm attack, but the death count was relatively low thanks to the intervention of Ratchet and his forces.

Ozpin looked to the sky to see a sleek fighter plane of some sort whiz by on patrol.

"Professor!" he heard a voice call out.

Returning his gaze to ground level, he saw team RWBY rapidly approaching him.

"Ah, nice to see you team RWBY. Would you be able to lead us to our guests?"

"Yes sir! Right this way!" Ruby said as she led the two teachers deeper into the town.

"Can you tell us what our guests have been up to since their arrival?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes. They've mainly been tending to the wounded with some special type of medicine called 'nanotech', as well as setting up defenses in case the Grimm return." Ruby answered.

"I see. So they are showing no hostility towards us?"

"Not at all." Ruby confirmed. "Though it is worth mentioning that Ratchet is the only non-robot in town."

"They only sent robots?"

"Yeah, but they're nothing like what Atlas makes. They seem to have full sentience. They act and talk like normal people and even show a range of emotions. Yang actually held a conversation with one of them and they exchanged jokes." Ruby informed.

"Is this true miss Xiao-Long?" Glynda asked.

"Yep. The guy actually had some funny jokes to tell." Yang said as she put her hands behind her head.

Ozpin took note of this new information. For them to have robots that were so advanced that they have full sentience. If the minds of the robots were indistinguishable from man, then where does the machine end and life begin? Yet another headache for Ozpin to worry about. And another thing that Atlas will want to get their hands on. Things were shaping up to be a political nightmare. But right now Ozpin needed to make sure that Vale was the Kingdom that the aliens choose to have dealings with. Atlas will try to take advantage of them too much, Vacuo is filled with criminals, and Mistral... well... Ozpin wasn't too sure about Mistral. It was the obvious second choice, but Ozpin was getting concerned about headmaster Lionheart's choices as of late.

Ozpin was engrossed in his own musings as they continued towards the town's center. When they finally arrived they found Ratchet talking with several of the robots before he sent them off to do something else. The wizened headmaster took stock of the individual in front of him. He was not the tallest person, only slightly taller than Ruby, but he was built equally lithe and muscular. Ozpin could tell by looking into his eyes that he was a strong individual who had seen many battles and come out on top.

"Ah, you must be the Professor Ozpin that Ruby has been telling me about." Ratchet said as he stood with his back straight and head raised, trying to look as dignified as possible. "My name is Ratchet. I am the commander of the First Contact Recon Force or FCRF, and captain of the starship Dragon." he said as he held out his hand.

Ozpin took one hand off of his cane and took Ratchet's hand to shake it. "Professor Ozpin. Headmaster of Beacon Academy, the premiere Huntsman and Huntress training school in all the Kingdom of Vale."

"You train Hunters?" Ratchet asked as he shook hands.

Ozpin noted the firm grip that Ratchet had. He was stronger than he looked. "Huntsman and Huntresses are the defenders of our planet. They are the first line of defense against the creatures of Darkness known as Grimm. The beasts that were attacking this town." explained Ozpin as the two released their grip. "Which you also have my thanks for coming to its aid."

Ratchet waved the headmaster off. "It was nothing. We just so happened to pick up the distress signal while we were in orbit."

"Regardless, if it wasn't for your intervention then I fear many more lives would have been lost. By the way, it seems that your medics are taking good care of the citizens." noted Ozpin.

"But of course. Our ship is fully stocked with the latest in medicine and nanotechnology." answered Ratchet.

"Nanotechnology?"

Ratchet walked over to one of the nearby supply crates, reached in, and pulled out a small blue syringe. He held it up in front of the group. "Nanotechnology, or more commonly referred to as nanotech, is a technology that consists of nanomites, or nanobots, living in many living organisms, robots, and other technology such as weapons. Nanomites repair the being that they are inside of on a cellular level. But can also be used for upgrading weaponry." he explained as he pulled off one of his gloves. "You there, can I borrow your blade?" Ratchet asked as he pointed to Blake.

The girl in question hesitantly handed over Gambol Shroud to Ratchet.

"Observe." Ratchet said as he dragged the blade across his palm, leaving a small gash. He winced in slight pain as he handed the weapon back to Blake, before stabbing the syringe into his wrist. Pushing down the plunger, he injected some of the syringes contents into his body. And after a few short moments, Ozpin and Glynda stared in awe as the wound sewed itself back together, not even leaving a scar. It was similar to the healing properties of Aura, but didn't require the user to have their Aura unlocked for it to take effect. That and Aura healing would cease when ones Aura level runs low.

"As you can see, nanotech is one of the pinnacle of the universes technologies. It is both versatile and effective. But enough of that for now. Just know that we are taking care of the survivors as best we can." Ratchet said as he slipped his glove back on.

"Interesting." mused Ozpin. "Now, I hope you don't mind if I get down to brass tacks, but would you mind telling us why you've come to our planet? I hope it's not to enslave us."

"That would be in violation of galactic law 7-25-R." came a voice.

The group turned to see a small green eyed robot approaching them from behind Ratchet.

"Ah, done already Clank?"

"Indeed. We have finished initial treatment of all the wounded and the defense systems are now online. The town should be safe from further attack should we leave." the diminutive robot answered.

"And who might this be?" asked Glynda.

"This is Clank. He's my best bud and second in command." answered Ratchet.

"A pleasure to meet you." Clank said with a slight bow.

"Nice to meet you as well. I'm Professor Ozpin, and this is my assistant Glynda Goodwitch." he said as he gestured to Glynda. "But back on topic. What brings you to our planet?" Ozpin directed the question towards Ratchet.

"We are simply here on an expedition to explore a newly discovered galaxy. Part of our assignment is to make contact with any sentient life we are able to find. Your planet happened to be the only one with a communication signal that escaped the atmosphere for us to find. So seeing as how we have made contact with you, we wish to learn all there is to know about your planet and culture before setting up treaties and trade agreements. And within the next few years, your planet will become the base of this galaxies galactic government." answered Ratchet.

Ozpin couldn't believe his ears. "I'm sorry, but what did you just say?"

"We wish to help elevate your people to a higher status should you so desire, in order for you to be the base of this galaxies new government. You see, it is both a quest for knowledge for us, as well as a quest to form the building blocks for future trading between our galaxies." explained Clank.

"So I take it you want to setup an embassy on our planet?"

"That would be ideal. We already have an ambassador on board the Dragon who is waiting for me to make contact with your government."

"I see." nodded Ozpin. "Well, I would be happy to help you setup a temporary embassy at my Academy until things can settle down. Would that be acceptable?"

"I'm sure that will work for the time being. I take it you also hold a position in your planet's government?"

"Indeed. Being the headmaster of one of the 4 great Huntsman Academies gives me quite a bit of influence in the council. But my influence is mainly restricted to my Kingdom."

"Well then, seeing as how everything is settled here, why don't we head to this 'Academy' of yours." suggested Ratchet.

"You may follow our bullhead, our ship, to the Academy. Can your ship hover in the air, or does it need a place to land?" asked Ozpin.

"It can hover without a problem. Just let me get everyone back on board the Dragon before you leave." Ratchet said as he gave a nod and left. "All right Rangers! We're packing it up! I want everyone back on the dropship in 5 minutes!"

"Well... this will certainly be interesting." mused Glynda.

 **(-)**

Team RWBY looked out the side of the bullhead's open hatch at the massive space ship that was flying through the air alongside them. The 'Dragon' as Ratchet called it, was an immense, sleek ship that was primarily bright red in color with accents of gunmetal gray. Ruby Rose was gushing over the cannons that were mounted all over the ship, including the two massive one that were mounted under the nose.

"DO YOU SEE THE SIZE OF THOSE THINGS?! THEY'RE BIGGER THAN OUR HOUSE YANG!" Ruby shouted as she violently shook her sister back and forth. "And that's just the ships weaponry! Imagine what kind of alien tech they have on board! You saw the shotgun Ratchet used! That must just be the tip of the iceberg! I bet they have guns that shoot fire! Guns that shoot ice! Guns that shoot acid! Guns that shoot lightning! Guns that chop things up! Guns that disintegrate people! Guns that shrink people! Guns that turn people into sheep! Automatic rocket launchers! Shotgun grenade launchers! Energy blades! Plasma whips! Cluster bomb launchers! Railguns! THE LIST GOES OOOOOOONNNNN!"

"Calm down sis, you're making me sick!" shouted Yang.

"Ah! Sorry." Ruby apologized as she released her sister. "It's just that I'm so excited. I want to see all the crazy different weapons they have." she squealed.

"Don't worry Rubes. I'm sure that mister Ratchet will be nice enough to show you some of his weaponry at some point."

"You really think so?!" Ruby asked with stars in her eyes.

"I hope so." Yang muttered quietly. "I mean, of course he will!"

"Hooray!" Ruby cheered as Yang sat back down next to her partner.

"Is that what you have to deal with on a regular basis?" Blake asked.

"Hahh, not nearly that bad." sighed Yang.

The bullhead began its landing sequence as it arrived at Beacon's landing pads. And high in the sky above, the Dragon hovered over the Academy.

Countless student rushed outside of the campus and gazed upwards at the huge ship that was now parked right on top of Beacon.

"What the hell is that?"

"Some kind of new Atlas ship?"

"No way they were able to build that!"

Ozpin departed his bullhead and waited patiently at the landing pad for one of the Dragon's dropship to descend with their ambassador. It didn't take long.

More and more students crowded around the landing pad as the dropship got closer. As the ship touched down the hatch opened up and the ramp dropped. Inside the ship were half a dozen robots alongside Ratchet, and another extraterrestrial being of some sort that appeared to be female. She was roughly the same hieght as Ratchet and wore a purple uniform of sorts that was decorated with medals and such. No doubt the ambassador.

She was escorted out of the ship by Ratchet and the robots and approached Ozpin. The murmurs of the crowd growing ever louder as more and more students caught sight of the guests. Scrolls were taken out and began taking pictures and recording videos of them.

"Professor Ozpin." the woman acknowledged him with a nod. "Or do you prefer Headmaster?" the female asked the man in question.

"Just Ozpin is fine." he replied. "And this is my assistant Glynda Goodwitch." he gestured to Glynda. "I take it that you are the ambassador of whom Ratchet spoke of?"

"That is correct." the female responded. "My name is Sasha Phyronix. You may refer to me by either name."

"Well, nice to meet you miss Phyronix." Ozpin said as he held out his hand. "Allow me to officially welcome you and your crew to Remnant."

Sasha took his hand in hers and gave it a shake. "My captain here informs me that you can setup a temporary embassy for us here."

"Why yes. For the time being Beacon Academy can play host to you. You may keep your ship docked overhead for as long as you want. In fact, I would prefer it if you kept it here for the time being until we are able to get this initial mess sorted out. Can't have an alien ship lingering around the city with people unaware of what it is." Ozpin explained.

Sasha nodded. "Agreed. I'd imagine it would cause quite a commotion."

"Unfortunately, I fear that within the next hour word will spread of... your... arrival..." Ozpin slowly trailed off as he cast his gaze skyward.

Sasha and Ratchet's gaze followed his to see one of the Dragon's star fighters making its way towards them.

"This is Ratchet to the Dragon. Who the hell is in that fighter? We said we were going down here alone."

" **My apologies sir. We tried to stop him, but his pet held us back."**

"Pet? Ah crap. Not him." groaned Ratchet.

The fighter landed and out popped a large man in a green spandex suit.

"Qwark..." Ratchet grumbled.

"Greeting citizens of planet... Uhm... What's this planet called again? Bah! Never mind. I am the great Captain Qwaaaark!" the green eyesore shouted as he began posing and flexing his muscles. "For those of you who don't know who I am, I'm the greatest hero the universe has ever seen! Single file line for autographs!"

"None of them know who you are you green dunce! Why would they want your autograph?!" yelled Ratchet.

"Hah! Anyone can appreciate my greatness even if they don't know who I am! After all, the blinding light of my heroic aura radiates even greater than the suns themselves! No one can resist the allure of my nerves of steel, iron hard abs, and massive guns!" he shouted as he began flexing his muscles.

Ratchet groaned loudly as he face palmed, Sasha began rubbing her temples, and the robots sighed in exasperation.

Meanwhile the people of Remnant had no idea what to make of this. Half of them were still stuck on the whole 'alien' bit, and the rest were unsure of how they should react to Qwark.

Ozpin, being the first to recover, interrupted Qwark's grandstanding. "I'm sorry sir, but who are you?"

"As I said before, I am the greatest hero in the universe!" Qwark boasted.

"Was." Ratchet corrected.

"My magnetic personality-"

"Annoying."

"- god-like strength-"

"Weak as a Terachnoid with brittle bone disease."

"- sharp mind-"

"Dull as a hundred year old knife."

"- and limitless potential-"

"Limited."

"- made me the obvious choice for this expedition! So the Solana government all but begged me to tag along!" Qwark finished with his signature smile.

"He was a stowaway."

Ozpin was beginning to get an idea of the situation. Especially with Ratchet's cut-ins, which Qwark either failed to notice or didn't seem to mind. "Well, nice to meet you mister Qwark."

"Please, mister Qwark was my father! Call me Captain Qwark!"

Ozpin could hear Glynda sigh behind him. It was clear the man in front of him was going to be a headache unlike any other.

"Why are you here Qwark? You're not the ambassador or a member of the security detail." Ratchet spoke as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Just getting to know the locals my good boy!" Qwark said as he patted Ratchet on the shoulder. "You know, fostering healthy relationships and such."

"Except the relationships you make will be sickly instead." Ratchet deadpanned. He doubted that Qwark could find anyone on Remnant that would be able to stand his presence for more than 10 seconds. "Qwark, please go back to the ship. At least until things settle down."

"Why Ratchet, don't you know that things never settle down when I'm around? I'm just too impressive to be ignored! This planet's people will flock to my presence out of pure instinct. I thought I was doing you a kindness by coming down here. At least then they wouldn't overwhelm the Dragon." reasoned Qwark.

"I'll give you till the count of 3 to get back in that fighter and head back to the ship." Ratchet issued his ultimatum.

"Nonsense!"

"One." the Lightning Ravager materialized in Ratchet's hand.

"We both know that you'll miss me so much that it will take less then an hour for you to come back and get me."

"Two." Ratchet raised the weapon up.

"The people deserve my presence. If you starve them of me, then they will surely riot."

"Three."

"Besides, I challenge you to try and force-"

Ratchet's arm snapped down and the tip of the weapon struck Qwark in the side.

"DTW#&SDF^&TU(#!SYH^RUTRD%WTW$*%RFQWRE!" Qwark lit up like a light bulb and spasmed about as a powerful jolt of electricity discharged into his body. Fortunately Ratchet had set it to stun.

Once Qwark's unconscious body fell to the ground in an undignified heap, Ratchet dismissed the weapon. "You there." he addressed one of the robots. "Take him back to the ship and put him in a holding cell. And make sure his pet is subdued as well. I don't want him breaking out with its help."

"Yes sir!" the robot saluted.

"When he wakes up, tell him if he's on good behavior then I'll think about letting him back on the surface... with an escort."

The onlookers watched as the robot hauled the unconscious body of Qwark back into the fighter before taking off again.

"Should've done that from the start. This is what I get for being soft on him." muttered Ratchet.

"Oh cheer up. It could've been worse." said Sasha.

"I know. Which makes it all the more concerning."

"Well, now that our 'interruption' has been taken care of, where were we?"

Ozpin took a moment to process recent events. It was clear to him that Qwark was just as much of a nuisance to Ratchet and company as he seemed. Seeing Ratchet resort to such methods of subjugation so quickly was cause for concern, but it seemed like there was a prior history between the two of them that called for such actions. So Ozpin chose to let it go and return to the task at hand. "I believe I was saying that soon Remnant will be abuzz with the news of your arrival." spoke Ozpin.

"Ah yes. The standard first contact response." nodded Sasha. "If you would be so kind as to setup a press conference then we would be happy to address the masses concerning our presence. But for the time being I suppose that can wait. Right now I would like a brief overview of your planet and its people. In exchange I will personally answer any questions that you have concerning us, so long as it isn't about any classified information."

"That would be acceptable. Would you care to follow me to my office?" offered Ozpin.

"After you sir." responded Sasha.

"You three, stay here and guard the ship." Ratchet spoke as he pointed at three of the robots. "You two are with me." he addressed the remaining two.

The crowd slowly parted as Ozpin made his way down the walkway towards Beacon, with Glynda following close behind. He could hear the heavy steps of the robots behind him as they stayed in-step with Ratchet and Sasha.

It was at this time that the reality of the situation finally set in. Hard. An uproarious commotion erupted in the courtyard courtesy of the student body. People were pushing and shoving to get a look at the extraterrestrial beings. Calls were made to everyone from family to news reporters by way of scroll. The local CCT tower would soon be overwhelmed by the sheer influx of calls being made.

 **(-)**

"Well, I welcome you to my office." Ozpin spoke as the group exited the elevator. Hew made his way over to his desk where he took a seat. "Can I offer you any drinks? I'm not sure if we have any similar drinks to what you are used to, but there's always hoping."

"Hmm, do you have any tea?" asked Sasha as she took a seat in one of the chairs opposite the desk. Ratchet and the two robots stood at attention behind her.

"As a matter of fact we do. What about you Ratchet?"

"Coffee please." he answered.

"Very well. Glynda, if you would be so kind as to get our guests some refreshments."

"As you wish sir." she said with a bow before heading into the adjacent room.

"So, what can I do for you, our most esteemed guests?" asked Ozpin as he steepled his fingers.

"Just a basic overview of your planet will do for now. Information on the local population, wildlife, and politics for example."

"Well, as I said before, our planet is known as Remnant. We play host to two sapient species. Humans, people like me, make up the majority of the population. The second species is known as faunus. They are similar to humans, although they exhibit particular animal-like traits. They often have additional appendages in the form of extra ears or even a tail. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that you yourself are literally covered in fur, you could probably pass as a faunus."

"I see." nodded Sasha.

"And that is where we might have a slight problem." Ozpin spoke sadly.

"How so?" asked Ratchet.

"You see, faunus kind are discriminated against by the humans, as most see them as 'more beast than man'. I myself am not one to judge others based on appearance, but the same cannot be said for everyone else. You may have to deal with some opposition following the official announcement of your arrival."

Ratchet grumbled in annoyance. Being that the universe was so large and filled with so many different species, it was hard to truly find racism as there were too many species to keep track of. And even then each species could have different races amongst themselves. In the end, only the truly notorious species were treated differently.

"We shall keep that in mind. But I'm sure that your people will come to understand we are something completely different. Although whether that is good or bad will have to be seen."

"Why exactly are faunus discriminated against anyway?" asked Ratchet.

"Well, as I said, it's because of their animal-like traits. Humans tend to think of them as less because of it. The faunus were displeased with their treatment at the hands of the humans, and as such it resulted in the Great War. After the war ended, faunus were given equal rights long with their very own continent. However while some saw this gift as fair and just, others saw it for what it really was. A way to confine all faunus to a single location away from man. In recent history, humans began countermanding the equal rights won by the Faunus in the Great War. This is what began the Faunus Rights Revolution." explained Ozpin. "And that's were things got a little complicated."

Glynda finally returned with drinks and handed them to Sasha and Ratchet.

"While the faunus were no longer confined to their continent, Menagerie, they were still discriminated against. Shops refusing to serve them is just one example. Along with them being unable to be a part of mainstream politics."

"So we'll have to deal with a bunch of racist assholes." Ratchet stated bluntly.

"That is a crude way to put it, but yes. But I'm afraid that's not the end of it. There is also the White Fang."

"White Fang?"

Ozpin pushed up his glasses with his fingers before turning his expression serious. "The White Fang; originally a peaceful faunus activist organization, it has turned into a terrorist organization that seeks to topple human society and put a faunus-ruled dominion in its place with humanity enslaved. I fear they too will have their own _personal_ opinion regarding you. Although I have no idea what it might be. They might even seek to recruit you to their cause given your appearance. But do not be fooled by them. Even though there are faunus amongst them that seek to end things peacefully, the majority of the White Fang is filled with killers. Many have died, both human and faunus, at their hands. They care not whether they are innocent or not, they simply crush all in their way."

"We shall keep that in mind. But I can assure you, if they truly are terrorists then I can safely say that we will not be involving ourselves with them. Regardless of what their goals are, we do not condone the killing of innocents. If anything we shall provide aid in apprehending them in order to bring about a peaceful resolution." affirmed Sasha.

"You have my thanks miss Phyronix." nodded Ozpin. "Now, on to another topic. I'm sure you have been informed of the creatures that Ratchet and his men encountered in the town of Mittly."

"Yes. Quite the dangerous looking beasts aren't they?"

"You don't know the half of it. They are called Grimm. Creatures born of darkness whose only goal in life is the eradication of all of human and faunus-kind. They have been roaming Remnant for as long as time itself, spreading death and destruction. They serve no purpose other than to kill. We know not where they come from, why they are so driven to kill us, nor do we know exactly what they are. They are simply death incarnate."

"Hmm, so they are not just normal wildlife?"

"I'm afraid not. They are soulless creatures that need neither rest nor sustenance. They live to kill, and kill they will. Unlike other animals that play their part in the ecosystem, Grimm are an anomaly. The biggest threat to our existence has always been them. It is why we founded the Huntsmen academies."

"Well then, if they are as big of a threat as you say they are, then I suppose we could lend a hand in dealing with them. It would only be the proper thing to do seeing as how we will be forming an alliance with your planet. I'm sure that our advanced technology can help us to better understand the beasts."

"Excellent. You have no idea how much that means to us as a planet."

"Now, I would like to know about this planets politics and military. Do you have a monarchy? Democracy?" asked Sasha.

"That is a little bit difficult to explain." Ozpin said as he took a sip from his mug. "There are 5 main outposts of civilization on Remnant. There are the 4 Kingdoms, Vale, Vacuo, Atlas, and Mistral, as well as the continent of Menagerie which is separate from them. Each of the Kingdoms has their own governing council that sees to the needs of its people. The councils control the day-to-day running of the Kingdoms and make policy decisions. The Huntsmen academies are separate from the government but still work under the authority of the governing council, which have some influence over the appointments to the headmaster of the academy. So in other words I work directly under the council of Vale, the Kingdom you are currently in. While we do have a military, most Kingdoms only call upon them when necessary, as the security and safety of the Kingdoms is mostly upheld by the Huntsmen and Huntresses. However there is a caveat to that. Atlas is distinct to the other three Kingdoms, in that the Academy, military, and government all exist as a single institution."

The group continued to talk at length about things in general. All information that Sasha would make use of in her dealings with these 'councils'.

 **Meanwhile...**

Back down at the landing pad, the 3 Galactic Rangers that were stationed there were currently doing there best to ignore the commotion that was building up courtesy of the humans that were gathered around them. Half of the group had dispersed, but only to follow Sasha and her group, whilst the rest remained at the landing pad, their curious eyes glued to the Rangers and their dropship.

Alpha 1, or Alphonse as he was better known, was the one in charge since he was ranked sergeant. Standing next to him were two privates. Alpha 7, Andrew, and Alpha 8, Alex. Should shit go down he knew he could count on the two of them. But right now the only form of trouble was the incessant pestering from the locals who were getting too close to the dropship for comfort. Alphonse was tempted to fire a warning shot to get the group to disperse, but he knew that would only end badly. So he and his squadmates simply stood in stoic silence.

"Hey, don't touch that!" shouted someone from the crowd.

Alphonse turned to see that one of the humans had worked his way around and was poking the side of the dropship with his finger.

"Why not?" the boy asked. He was dressed in the same uniform that was shared amongst most of the present humans, save for a few older looking ones that wore different outfits. Alphonse had been informed that this was a school of some sort, so he figured they must have been the teachers.

"Because you don't know what it is! What if you hit the self-destruct button?!" screeched the girl.

"Please refrain from touching the dropship." stated Alphonse. "Although there isn't a self-destruct button, we may need to take off at a moments notice and we wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"Whoa! The robot talked!" shouted someone.

"Calm down. It was probably just a programmed response." said another.

"Yeah, I've heard that Atlas robots are capable of limited conversation. They must be like that."

Soon enough a small argument broke out over the Rangers and whether or not they were sentient.

Alphonse huffed in annoyance at how the humans constantly referred to them as 'things'. Though they were robots, they were still considered people. At least back where they're from. Here might be another story entirely. From the sound of things this planet had yet to create robots that were on par with them.

"Bunch'a ignorant fools if you ask me." muttered Alex.

"Kind of want to set 'em straight, eh sarge?" asked Andrew.

The sergeant shook his head. "No. Keep contact with the locals to a minimum. Until we officially announce our presence we are treading on thin ice. And we will continue to do so even after the fact."

"Whatever you say sarge."

"Excuse me! Coming through!" came the voice of a girl as she made her way through the crowd. With some nudging and light shoves, the girl eventually made her way to the Rangers. She was a petite little thing, wearing a red and black dress. A boxy weapon of some sort was attached to her back. Following the red clad girl through the hole in the crowd were three others. One with blonde hair, one with black hair, and one with white hair.

"Calm down Ruby." the blonde advised. "You're going to have a heart attack at this rate."

However 'Ruby' was having none of it. She immediately ran up to Alphonse and began studying him with a critical eye. "Hmm, much more armored than the standard Atlas robot, arm has a built in cannon of some sort, lack of a clip suggests the possibility of non-ballistic munitions. Unless of course the ammo feed system is built inside. But even then the barrel is to wide for small caliber projectiles." the girl rattled off as she darted around Alphonse and his squad. "Plus the red paint job is totally cool!" she finished with stars in her eyes.

"Err... Can I... help you?" asked Alphonse.

"Oh! No. Well maybe. I was just admiring the technology of your arm cannon." the girl said as she pointed at Alphonse's weapon. "Could you possibly tell me about it?"

If he had a brow then Alphonse would have raised it. "You... want me to tell you about my weapon?"

"Yes!" the girl said excitedly. "You see, I'm a bit of a weapon aficionado."

"Fanatic." spoke the white haired girl.

"So I have a keen interest in weapons. And yours are from outer space!" the red girl finished with a jump.

"I see... So you want to know how it works eh?"

The girl nodded vigorously in response.

"Well, I hate to disappoint you, but unless I get the clearance from my superiors, then I am required to keep quiet about our weaponry. We don't want such dangerous knowledge to fall into the wrong hands now do we?" Alphonse asked as he reached out and ruffled the girls hair.

The girl struggled out of his grasp and quickly tried to fix her hair. She was obviously disappointed that she couldn't learn anything about the Ranger's arm blasters. "I understand." she relented. "But!" she added as she looked back up, eyes filled with determination. "If you do get permission, promise that you will tell me!"

Alphonse chuckled at the girls enthusiasm. "Perhaps. I can't promise that we'll meet again. I may be stationed back on our ship for the duration of our stay. But if the chance presents itself and I have the time, I'd be willing to indulge your curiosity."

The girl beamed and cheered. "Hooray!"

"Still, I'm sure you'd rather hear about our weapons from our ships weapon's experts, instead of from a simple soldier."

"That. Would. Be. Awesome."

"Still can't make a promise that you'll get to meet them though."

"Okay sis, you heard the guy. He can't tell you about their weapons. So can we go now?" the blonde said as she put a hand on the red clad girls shoulder.

The girl sighed in resignation. "Fine. But as soon as they get permission to tell us I'll be coming back." she said in a tone that left no room for an argument otherwise.

And thus the four girls disappeared back into the crowd.

"Well, that just happened." said Alex.


End file.
